Embry-Riddle professors consider cause of the Airbus 330 crash

by Christine Lee - Jun. 2, 2009 06:56 PM12 News

As investigators continue uncovering remnants of the downed Air France aircraft, professors at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott shared their thoughts on what may have caused the crash.

Assistant Professor of Meteorology Israel Jirak noted there were severe thunderstorms along the plane's flight route. He said that was not an unusual situation, and that pilots were properly trained to maneuver around them. Dr. Dennis Lessard, a professor and the chair of the Aeronautical Science Department, agreed, saying, "They would have flightplanned for that. Either by the route of the flight, or they would have put extra fuel on the plane for diversion around thunderstorms."

Lessard said airplanes often get struck by lightning and are made to withstand it. And while both professors don't see it as a likelihood that lightnings alone caused the plane to go down, they considered a combination of lightning and thunderstorms as a possibility. Professor William D. Waldock of the Safety Science Department, said another speculation could be valid. He said, "Pilots are relying on the autopilot and they're not necessarily as attuned to what the airplane is doing and what might be going on around them." Waldock said the autopilot mode could delay reaction times, but denies whether or not may have been the case in this particular scenario.

Ultimately, the plane's black box has the best information about what really happened. The professors hope that the box will be recovered, so that they can learn from this tragedy. They say that this is a very rare incident, and that commercials airlines are still the safest mode of transportation.